It was a project almost 12 months in the making - a 72-foot wooden sculpture of two people lovingly looking into each other, built across studios in Vancouver and Portland.

Called Embrace, the plywood installation was supposed to be a place to reflect and contemplate life and love.

And, like countless other pieces of art to feature at Burning Man, it was reduced to nothing but dust and ash on Thursday night.

The remote week-long rave in the Nevada desert - often described as 'where Mad Max meets Woodstock' - culminates each year with many of the statement artworks going up in flames, in a symbol of catharsis, reflection and new beginnings.

'In short, Embrace is about asking people to consider why death is so challenging and why it’s also so beautiful,' lead artist Matt Schultz said.

Tragically death was an all-too-real element of this year's festival.

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Flamer: The 'Embrace' art installation - one of the most recognizable pieces at this year's Burning Man festival - is set alight on Thursday August 28, 2014

Cathartic: The burning of art at the week-long rave is supposed to bring about moments of reflection

Embrace: The plywood statute was built between Vancouver and Portland and was meant as a place to contemplate life and love

Precaution: Volunteer firefighters are seen on hand to contain the blaze

The installation took almost 12 months to built, but just minutes to burn to the ground

Intricate: The piece was hollow and had an inside chamber complete with two huge hearts where Burners could 'hang'

Symbolic: Fire is a major part of the festival at Black Rock City in the Nevada desert

Art gallery manager Alicia Louise Cipicchio, 29, was killed after being hit by a party bus near Center Camp early on Thursday.

The bus was transporting passengers around the festival when the accident happened a little after midnight.

It is not known whether the Wyoming
woman was walking at the time or whether she fell off and then underneath
the bus, which had people dancing on the top deck at the time of the accident.

Later in the day, thousands of the almost 70,000-strong crowd gathered at Embrace to watch as the first of this year's sculptures was burned, taking a moment to remember Cipicchio.

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'It’s not all about sorrow. It’s also about appreciating the relationships in your life,' he said.

'I want people to think about people they miss. But I don’t want people to miss out on those moments you share with the ones who are still here. Say “I love you.”

'Enjoy that moment now.'

This year's festival has already been dogged by moments of controversy.

Black Rock Desert was doused in rain in the lead up to the gate's opening on August 25, forcing organizers to turn people away until the grounds had dried and the proper festival infrastructure could be put back together.

Next, hardcore 'Burners' complained the essence of what the festival represented - a society without currency built on sharing and freedom - had been ruined by an influx of tech billionaires that brought with them a five star experience, complete with luxury RV's, top shelf liquor and even bodyguards.

Tragic: Alicia Louise Cipicchio, 29 (left), died after she was hit by the 'Shagadelica' party bus (right) near Center Camp in Black Rock City, Nevada just after midnight on Thursday morning

The Burning Man site, spanning about five miles, is covered with pieces of art

The Temple of Grace during the Burning Man 2014 "Caravansary" arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, August 27, 2014

The Temple of Grace during the Burning Man 2014 "Caravansary" arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, August 27, 2014

People from all over the world have gathered at the sold out festival to spend a week in the remote desert cut off from much of the outside world to experience art, music and the unique community that develops

Elaborate: Aot of the artists spend a full year making their installations and rely on fundraiser money

Burning Man began in 1986 as 20 friends gathered at the end of summer on Baker Beach in San Francisco. They built a wooden figure and lit it at the end of a ceremony.

The ritual moved to the Black Rock Desert in 1990 after park police wouldn't allow the fire and it grew into a combination campout, performance venue, artist haven and experiment in communal living and greatly expanded during that decade. It's now a nonprofit organization committed to leaving no trace of its participants in between each year's event.

Because the event is far from cities of any size — the nearest town 16 miles away is Gerlach, Nev., population 200, but about 90 minutes away because of the roads — medical care beyond what volunteer doctors and health-care workers provide can be tough to get quickly.

A pirate ship cruises the Playa during the Burning Man 2014 Caravansary arts and music festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada August 28, 2014 unique community that develops